A Woman Is No Man Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Arab Americans at a Glance and our BookBrowse Review of A Woman Is No Man.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Why might a community or culture have a "code of silence"? What are the potential risks of such secrecy? In what ways is such silence harmful to Isra and other women and girls?
2. Beyond the literal, what does it mean for a person to have a voice? Why is it important to health and safety? What are the various forces that silence Isra's voice?
3. Why are books so important to Isra, Sarah, and Deya? What makes the reading of books so threatening to Isra's mother, Fareeda and the men in the novel?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Harper Perennial. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.